Improved harvester-cutter



df-latini JACOB SCHNEIDER, 0F CANTON, @Hlth Letters vPatem..No. 98,303, dated December 28 1869.

IMPROVE!) HARVESTER-CUTTER.

The Schedule referxe. to in these Letters Patent and making part of the sama.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB SCHNEIDER, of' Canton, in the county of Stark, and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Har- Wester-Cutters; and I do hereby declare that the following is a'iiill, clear, and exact description of my invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of' this speciiication, and to the lett rs of reference marked thereon, of whichvester-tingexs with a dovetail groove in their necks,

and in making the under-plate bar of a dovetail section, so that said bar can be slid in at one end of the finger-har through tbe dovetail grooves in the fingers, thus securing the bar, and consequently the undercutter plates on the lingers.

My invention consists, secondly, in constructing the harvester-fingers with a do-vetail groove in the neck, a slot under the lip, on the head, and a concavity nnder said lip, and in front of' the groove in the neck, whereby both the positions ofthe under-plate bar and of the points of theunder plates are exactly fixed, and the clinicnlty which might arise from grass or dirt getting on to the fingers, and preventing the under plates and bar from sliding into position, is fully prevented. c

'lo enable others skilled in-the art-s to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

In the annexed drawings, K represents the fingerbar, or a portion of a ingr-bar of a harvester, to which the fingers G C are attached in an ordinary manner.

These fingers are of the 'form shown in figs. 3,r E being the neck of the finger; D, the head; and G the lip on the head, which projects back over the cutterknives.

'lhe dovctail groove F is formed in the neck E, and the'slot J is formed in the head D, under the lip G.

rlhe finger is formed with the concavity H, under the lip G, and directly in front of the dovetail groove F, and the Bange :l is formed 0n the under side of the head D, and extends back to the neck E, and can he made on the side of said head, as shown in section in iigf, 0r at the cent-re, if desired.

The under-cutter plates -a are made of steel, and are of the peculiar form shown in figs, 4, the front parts, fn, of their cutting-edges, extending from a to l), being made straight, or with a slight curve at the ends a., and running toward each other at the front, (t a, while the rear part, L, of their cutting-edges, extending from `b to c, is made in a curved forni, nearly or exactly circular, tangent to the part a b, at b, and tangent to a line parallel with the knife-bar or fingerbar at the pointc.

These plates are ground oii' on the under side, to form the cutting-edges, the bevel of the cutting-edges being commenced near the points c, and gradually running ont to the points a.

These plates are secured by rivets or screws to the bar B, which extends from one end of the finger-bar K to the other, and is of the saine dovetail section as the grooves F in the finger-necks E.

The under-plate bar B, with the plates A A, is slid into the end of the finger-bar, and, when in position, the points ot' the plates A fit in the slots J in the head D of the fingers C, as shown in iig. 2.

The knife-bar runs on the linger-necks E, between the under-plate oar B and finger-bar K, andthe knifesections rnn ou the plates A, and under the lip G, as shown by dotted lines in iig. 2.

The bar B is prevented from sliding in the grooves F by a screw passing through it into one ofthe fingerneeks E.

It it evident, that by making the bar B to tit tightly in the grooves F, it will act as a truss-rod to the fingers C, and add considerably to their strength.

It is also evident, that by making the under-plate bar E of' a dovetail section, and sliding it into the dovetail grooves F in the fingers, the upper snrfaces of' the under plates will be all drawn dovvn parallel to the -Face of' the fingers, and that this mode of securing the under-plate har in the fingers, in combination with the fitting of the fronts of the under pla-tes in the slots J in the fingers, insures a perfectly plane surface for the knives to slide on, and prevents any possibility7 of the knives locking against the under plates when the machine is in operation. I

It is also readily seen that the concavity H, in the finger C, will prevent any grass or dirt, which might get on the face of the linger, from springing up any Vof the under plates as the under-plate bar was being slid into position, and disturbing the surface. onwhieh the knives slide, or even preventing the under-plate bar from being slid into position.

I am auare that under-cutter plates have been before used in combination with harvester-fingers, and I lay no claim to such plates; but

lVhat I do claim herein as new, and of' my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, on the finger-bmi of ahar'vester, ot' :t set of ngers, provided with dovetaii grooves in their necks, an under-plate bnr, with a, dovetztil section, and :t set-of under-cntterpintes, one to each finger, secured on Said bur, the several parts being m'- rn-nged substantially as and for the purposes herein specified.

2. The hnrvester-fnger U, constructed with head D, lip G, slot J, concnvity H, and neck E, with dovetail groove F, the several parts being arranged ns shown, and the whole being used in vcombination with the bar B, with plate A secured thereto, sub

stantialiy ns and for the purpose herein specified.

As evidence that I claim the foregoing, I have hereunto set', my hand, in the presence of two witnesses, this 8th day of October, A. D. 1869.

' 4 J A.A SCHNEIDER.

Witnesses:

'JOB ABBOTT, A. GHOFFIN. 

